Derek Glasgow, Fleet Manager Inverness, sent us these pictures to illustrate the kind of work that staff at Inverness depot sometimes have to carry out at very short notice and with an incredibly tight deadline.

A class 158 unit, 158722, struck a cow just outside Brora. Significant damage was done to the train and the cow didn't survive the collision. The unit had to be returned to Inverness depot for repair where it arrived at 16:00 that day.

Train availability was already at a premium due to another unit having suffered a gearbox failure and yet another being in the midst of engine renewal, therefore an overnight turnaround was required to keep the Far North Line service running.

158722 was available for service at 06:00 the following day thanks to the skills of engineer D Carrol who worked tirelessly on completing a fantastic repair job.

As Derek commented, "It is easy to criticise the railway but at Inverness depot there are 80 men and women dedicated to delivering the service for the Far North lines and as Fleet Manager I am proud of the work they produce day in, day out."